Monday, March 16, 2009

Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council will meet with Joshua DuBois, the man who leads the administration’s office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships on Tuesday according to the Right Wing Watch. These groups are not moderate, they are right-wing anti-gay, anti-women think tanks with the sole purpose of promotion of their religious ideology. These groups rail against issues like gay marriage, adoption rights, trans and gay protections, and are against other issues like reproductive rights, and embryonic stem cell research. They also have a vigorous agenda to break down the wall between separation of church and state.

Obama wants to be inclusive of all Americans and that is a positive thing, but why waste time and money meeting with people who disagree with him on every single issue and are perpetrators of the kind of bigotry that his administration promised to tackle.

While it's important to understand and make sure the White house understands how these groups promote lies and hate, they have the same rights to free speech and access to government that everyone else does.

Free speech does not work if it's only permitted to those who are in power. When Michael Moore was on the anti-Bush campaign trail in '04, he made a point of inviting the Bush supporters into the arena while Bush protesters were barred from or even arrested at Bush rallies.

I may not agree with what you say, but I will fight for your right to say it.

Oh just wait, Barack Obama fans will find a way to say this is OK for him to do also. He has already proven who is he time and time again but his fans insist on believing him lies. All he will have to do is issue a one line statement and his followers will be reading poetry to him and making rap songs about him for as long as he flashes that fake smile. Any queer who supported him deserves what they get.

"but why waste time and money meeting with people who disagree with him on every single issue and are perpetrators of the kind of bigotry". Are you kidding me? Obama agrees with them. Where have you been the last few months? Wake up, Obama is a bigot.

Obama sure is a bigot. God forbid you say that in the light of day, the gay "community" will rip your head off and shun you. He has shown his true colors and everyone can see it except the gay "community." Hillary is no saint THAT is for sure but she was by far much more gay friendly and honest on the issue than this clownshoe ever was. He knows everything about these groups he invites to the white house, what do these gays think poor little doe eyed Obama has no idea who he is meeting with? "Poor little Bambi is so sweet he loves us gay people." Barack Obama is a bigot of the most deceitful kind, because he manages to fool people, how, is beyond me. He is a big fat liar and a fake, always has been alwasy will be. Fraud.

Kudos to this blog for posting this. It's a hard pill to swallow but we need to know the truth. Better sooner than later. I agree that he does not disagree with anti-gay anti-woman groups such as these and Rick Warrnes group. Obama is seemingly quite sexist and an obvious bigot. Can't say I'm surprised. I only voted for him because I felt I had no other choice. Next time I will simply not vote.

"Obama wants to be inclusive of all Americans and that is a positive thing, but why waste time and money meeting with people who disagree with him on every single issue and are perpetrators of the kind of bigotry that his administration promised to tackle."

Because INCLUSIVE means INCLUSIVE OF ALL. It doesn't mean INCLUSIVE of "people I like" or "people I think are smart" or "people whose ideas I like" or "people who I think are reasonable." Part of the INCLUSIVE promise is giving time to people you like and people you don't, so that you can bring everyone a little closer to some sort of agreement, so everyone feels like a stakeholder, and so you don't alienate people. We'd be up in arms if he were refusing to meet with radical pro-gay-rights groups because we like them. We can't expect our audience to be granted and then expect that someone else's will be denied when the premise of the whole thing is INCLUSIVENESS.

Thalassa I would not be in a favor of a radical pro-gay group that did not use scientific fact and encouraged hate against any other group. These radical christian groups he is meeting with distort science and truth and promote hate.

Ok, you're getting onto some moral high ground that is not possible for a politician to stand on. They can't demand that everyone they speak with be reasonable, science-based, or nice. They certainly can't expect people to provide the scientific basis for their opinions before engaging in political conversation.

The practical situation is that you have to include all the major players, even the stupid ones, when taking political action. It's a way of undercutting opposition.

Since you posted the Pepsi boycott story from the AFA, I've been receiving their action alerts. I go fill out positive comments for all the companies they're boycotting and respond in gay-affirming ways to all their polls. What this has confirmed for me is that Obama is doing a damn fine job of being a moderate, because people on this side of the issue are labeling him an anti-gay bigot and liar, while people on the other side are labeling him an anti-Christian bigot and threat to life and families.

I understand your position, but you're further out to the left of the spectrum than I am, I guess. I see the moderation in what he's doing, because he gives ear to both sides. He's taking slow, community-building steps toward equality and making sure he has support and alliance from the stakeholders before taking definitive action. He's undone those things he could undo with a bold stroke (stem cell research, funding for international agencies that provide abortion, the birth control rule) and he's started on those issues that are going to require deeper cooperation (DADT, etc.) His campaign was cool and deliberative, and his presidency seems to be the same.

Thalassa I used to fill out the right-wing forms and do the opposite of what they said, but I think it backfired once. The part you write is under a whole letter with their propaganda and so they might not even get to your part and just count you as conservative on the issue at hand. I recommend just emailing directly as opposed to using any of their forms. Being on their action alerts though is good so we can keep up to date with all of their shenanigans.

As for the moderation, I like the way Obama has conducted himself so far, but I feel it is necessary for those of us very concerned about specific issues to act as a watchdog and to hold him accountable to his words. I guess time will tell.

Oh, yeah, I don't use their form letters when I'm doing this. I don't want to give them the "hit count" that I've clicked their submit button, so I go direct to the company and fill out their "contact us" thing saying I appreciate them for being gay friendly. Pepsi actually sent me a very nice (form) letter explaining that they committed to diversity and equality a long time ago and they're sticking with it.

As for Obama, fair enough. I'm mostly amused by the number of commenters here saying he's an anti-gay bigot while the right-wingers are saying he's a pro-gay bigot. I think that's a good sign that's he's being moderate. Keep on watching, that's why we read your blog. :)